Rosemary For Protection
by Ametrine
Summary: Hogwarts holds many secrets, and this is her story of finding them out.
1. Her Legend Begins

ROSEMARY FOR PROTECTION  
  
  
  
(a/n: I started this in December, I think... I'm sorry for you all who decided to read this, and  
I apologize for any inconsistencies or plot holes, I guess you could call it... artistic license?)  
  
  
I stood last in line, shivering with nerves. Hardly an inch, if not less, taller  
than most of the terrified eleven-year-olds in front of me, I couldn't see what was going  
on any better than they could. No matter that I was four years older than them, it made  
no difference. Most of thie line was in view of the student body of Hogwarts, but I was  
hidden behind a heavy black curtain.  
  
The only noise was the constant murmur (more like dull roar) of the other   
students, all sitting at their respective house tables. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw,  
and Slytherin.  
  
A man I recognized (from Chocolate Frogs, but oh well) to be Albus Dumbledore  
stood, and with surprising ease glided to the center of the dais the teachers ate on. Professor  
Dumbledore had sweeping purple robes on, contrasting his waist-length silver hair and beard.  
  
"Good evening," He spoke with the quiet confidence of one whose very life has been  
tested, and has survived the experience. "I would like to welcome all of you back to Hogwarts,   
and to make a particularly odd announcement.  
  
Over the thousand years that it has been open, Hogwarts has only had six transfer  
students: two Ravenclaws, two Hufflepuffs, and two Slytherins. Every one of those students  
had started here in their first or second year. We have *never* in the past accepted students  
older than the age of twelve. Indeed, we have never found anyone with enough aptitude to  
warrant accepting them later in their education.  
  
However, this year we will have a new *fifth* year student."  
  
The blanket of silence that had fallen over the hall was finally resting, and there was  
so little sound coming from the students that I struggled to shove aside the curtain. I managed  
just in time to see boy with LONG black hair say loudly,  
  
"Can we sort them already? I'm really hungry."   
  
The blanket was thrown off, and everyone laughed or chuckled. Professor Dumbledore  
in particular was highly amused. "Certainly, Mr. Black."   
  
He turned to an elbow-high wizard on his left. "Professor Flitwick?"  
  
The tiny man nodded, and produced a chair and ragged hat out of nowhere.  
  
That hat's been through the mill, I told myself. It's disgusting.  
  
It was. Ragged, stained, patched, I couldn't even imagine how old it was.  
  
The little Professor sat the hat on the stool, and a rip opened near the brim. It began to  
sing!  
  
I stared at it, mouth hanging open, as it rabbled on about the Founders and their  
prize qualities in students.  
  
When it had finished, the applause became deafening, and when it finally subsided,  
a rather stern-looking witch with a deep red belt over her robes came forward.  
  
"When I call off your name, you will come forward, take the Hat from the person  
in front of you, and sit on the stool to be Sorted." She told us. "Is that clear?"  
  
Everyone in the line nodded, and she began to read off names.  



	2. Lights Sparkle Before Your Eyes

ROSEMARY FOR PROTECTION - Chapter 2  
  
  
  
((A/N--*g* THANK YOU to the *two* people who reviewed this. Two! Trinity Day and Ron.  
And I thought you people loved me. Oh, well. Fine, be that way. I love you anyhows.))  
  
  
  
"Arby, Nora."  
"Bott, Bradley."  
"Bracell, Victoria."  
  
And on it went, until the last younger student had been sorted. The witch  
smiled at me, not unkindly, and said, "And out last student to be sorted will be starting  
her fifth year here, and I expect that whatever house she is in, the other members will   
show her the ropes. Miss Rosemary Potter."  
  
I smiled the best I could, albeit feebly, and sat down. The hat was so big on me  
that it fell down over my eyes and tickled the tip of my nose. I couldn't see anything, which  
was probably a good thing because I couldn't see the incredulous stares directed at me. I   
could, however, hear the whispers that went with them.  
  
  
"Potter? We already have one Potter, and he's an only child that I know of."  
  
"Transfer student? We haven't had one for over a century!"  
  
"She's tiny, I thought she was a first year."  
  
"Looks like James, don't you think, Alicia?"  
  
Finally the hat said something to me. "Well, Miss Potter, you're quite an interesting  
change! You're intelligent but wholly illogical, reasonable but part fairy... Where do you want  
to be?"  
  
"Gryffindor!" I told it. "Please?"  
  
If the hat could have chuckled, I'm positive it would have. "If you're sure!   
GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
The table on the far left just exploded with the loudest cheers I'd ever heard. The  
rest just applauded, as the Sorting was over. I felt my face burn with embarrassment as I   
headed towards the Gryffindor table.  
  
When I got there, I sank into the first seat I saw that wasn't surrounded by little kids  
or hulking seventh years. Looking up, I saw four faces peering curiously into mine. I smiled  
hesitantly. "Am I interrupting a conversation?"  
  
One of the three boys replied. "Not really interrupting, just appearing in the middle of."  
He seemed not to mind.  
  
"I'm sorry," I apologized.  
  
The second of the boys immediately cut in. "It's okay. We were actually talking about  
you."  
  
The first boy hissed, "Remus!" and nudged him in the ribs, hard.  
  
While Remus massaged his ribs, the girl, who I hadn't noticed before held out  
her hand. I shook it, and she told me, "Don' mind them, they're just not used to people they  
don't know. I'm Lily."  
  
She had bright red hair, and the most unusual green eyes. I must have looked   
awfully relieved to know someone's name, because she continued, pointing to each of the  
boys in turn. "This is James Potter," she said pointing to the only one who hadn't spoken. He  
had jet black hair that was pointing everywhere, and deep brown eyes. "Remus Lupin," Was the  
blond one who had been poked in the ribs, he had shaggy hair, and big, deep blue eyes. "And  
Sirius Black." The first boy had a mane of black hair so dark it looked like a doll's, and eyes  
so dark brown they might have been black. All three waved at me, and continued shoveling  
food into their mouths.  
  
All of a sudden James swallowed with some difficulty, then burst out, "Rosemary,  
what Remus meant is that we were discussing why you would be coming here from Maine,  
not talking about you, oh, never mind..." He finished as both Lily and I gave him puzzled looks.  
Sirius gave a snort of laughter and Remus chuckled through a mouthful of potato.  
  
"I didnt' know there was any confusion." Remus stated.  
  
"Remy, you would't know if a block got dropped on your head," Lily teased.  
  
Sirius snickered. "Yeah, *Remy*. I'm surprised James han't dropped a block  
for that one."  
  
By now I was totally lost, but it didn't seem to matter, as a silvery-blond boy I   
recognized as being a Slytherin sauntered up. "Well, Lupin, it looks as if you have another  
--creature-- friend here, finally." He taunted.   
  
The more he said, although it was hardly three sentences, the madder I got. The  
white-hot rage spreading through me, I could feel it burning though my skin, my cheeks getting  
red and my lips pressing into a tight line.  
  
At one point I just lost control. I pounced on him, punched, slapped and bit him until  
Remus and Sirius pulled me off, with no small amount of force. "Let's go!" Lily ordered,  
and I got dragged along as they scampered.  
  
When we finally reached our destination, a warm room decorated with red drapes and   
a vibrant orange carpet, I was still fuming about that stupid, pretentious Slytherin.  
  
"The Gryffindor Common Room," James told me, even though I was barely listening.  
  
We sat in a circle of armchairs not far from the fire, or rather a square. James and Lily  
occupied one chair across from me, Sirius on my right and Remus across from him.  
  
"What was that all about?" Remus asked reasonably.  
  
I responded in kind. "Who was he?"  
  
Sirius pulled a face. "That was Lucius Malfoy. His family has a good deal of money,  
so he thinks he's some sort of god." Rather smugly, he added, "But apparently he's not if a   
miniature Rottweiler of a girl can take him down in one fell swoop."  
  
"And what's wrong with being a girl?" Lily demanded, beating me to it.  
  
"Nothing's wrong with it," Remus returned quickly and quietly. "But my question still  
hasn't been answered." 


	3. Dormitory Stories

Rosemary for Protection  
Chapter 3  
  
  
((A/N)) (lol!) I had a good amount of reviews for the first part, none for the second, and I doubt I'll get any for  
the third. ;-)  
  
"Don't interrogate the poor girl," Sirius interjected.  
  
I sighed. "He's not interrogating me. He has every right to ask, especially as I already know that  
he's a werewolf."  
  
Remus didn't gasp or anything, but I sensed him stiffen. "How could you possibly have known?"  
He wondered aloud. "They wouldn't tell you, there's no reason to..."  
  
I squirmed, uncomfortable, while the others just looked at me, waiting for an explanation. "I'm part fa-- magical creature. Any magical creature can recognize another immediately if you know what to look for, and Professor  
Dumbledore *told* me to look for others."  
  
Sirius' and James' mouths made perfect "o"'s of understanding.  
  
Remus smacked his forehead. "I should have remembered that!"  
  
Lily just shook her head and explained it to me. "Only the four, well, five of us and the teachers know  
about Remus. When we heard that you knew, and especially never having met you before, it was a scare."  
  
"I'm sorry," I apologized for the second time that night.  
  
Sirius waved it off. "Don't worry about it. But why did jump Malfoy? Not that I'm objecting or anything,  
it's just that usually people don't outright attack him."  
  
I bit my lip. "Curse of the Faye." I mumbled.  
  
Remus caught on immediately. "That's right! Once again, something I really should have known." He   
turned to Sirius and James, who looked rather lost. "Many fairies, and those of the Faye, or people with fairie  
blood in them, are famous for having incredibly short tempers."  
  
Lily ignored that. "That sounds familiar... Remus, didn't you say that in an argument with someone or   
something?" She turned to me, and said in a stage whisper, "That's the only time you'll ever hear or hear about  
Remus arguing with someone."  
  
Remus snorted. "It is not. I'm arguing with you right now, and just last spring I had an argument with  
that moron at the train station over," And here he paused, looking mildly puzzled. "Alright, so I don't know what  
it was over. But I'm sure you heard it, you were standing not ten feet away!"  
  
Sirius chuckled. "I think the entire train station heard that!" Remus' ears turned a delicate pink color.  
"Don't worry, Rem, you won."  
  
"What on earth are you looking at, Lily?" James asked suddenly. I looked over at her, and she was looking back and forth between James and me, a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"Well, it's just that James and Rosemary look enough alike to be *twins*!" She defended herself.  
  
James' and my eyes met, and I saw that he was as confused as I was.   
  
"The same eyes," Remus noted.  
  
"The same hair," I offered feebly.  
  
"You're both short!" Sirius said with glee.  
  
"And you have the same facial structure," Lily observed. "No, really! The same nose, eyebrows,   
the same little cleft in your chin, look!"  
  
She was right. "This is kind of creepy." James commented.  
  
"Yup," Remus agreed. "Got any long-lost siblings, James?" He joked.  
  
James' eyebrows knitted together, but he didn't say anything.  
  
I stopped to think.   
  
"Hey Arthur, Molly," Sirius greeted someone behind me. I turned around to see them, and was   
surprised to see a pair of redheads strolling towards us. No, they weren't brother and sister...  
  
"Hi, Rosemary, I'm Molly Bullen." The girl shook my hand. I smiled, pleased to know someone else.  
  
"Hi, Molly. Are you a fifth year?" I asked.  
  
She, Lily and I got off into discussion about roommates and who slept where, and the boys disappeared   
off to who-knows-where.  
  
After a while Sirius appeared behind Lily's chair. "Aren't you supposed to meet Jamesie?"  
He asked, with a somewhat mischievous grin.  
  
Lily gasped. "Oh yeah! Thanks, Siri!" And with that, she dashed off.  
  
Sirius plopped down in her chair. "So, Rosemary, Molly, what are you two planning for this lovely evening?"  
  
I smirked, unable to contain myself. "Planning your demise."  
  
He lifted an eyebrow, and Molly continued my thought, but in a different direction. "By perpetual embarrassment  
via Karianne Jackson."  
  
His mouth fell open and closed with a snap, and his face colored a wonderful shade of magenta. "Well then, must  
be off!" And he scampered up a set of staircases.  
  
Molly and I laughed, slapping our knees and cackling. "What was that all about?" I asked once we had calmed  
down.  
  
She took a deep breath. "Well, Sirius is incredibly popular with the girls, and almost as much with the guys." She  
paused, and I butted in.  
  
"Popular with the boys the same way as the girls?"  
  
Molly nodded. "Yep. Anyways, Karianne Jackson is a Ravenclaw that he dated last year. The only girl *Ever* to catch him with another guy behind her back!" She reamed him out in front of the whole school and smacked him twice. He was so embarrassed he didn't speak for a week, literally."  
  
My jaw about hit the floor. "I can't imagine Sirius getting caught, much less getting smacked in front of the Slytherins!"  
  
Molly smirked. "I never much liked KariAnne, but I've always thought that he should date only one or two people at once, not five and six! He hasn't dated at all since that episode, so I think that perhaps he learned his lesson, though." 


	4. Secrets Demystified

Rosemary For Protection  
Chapter 4  
  
(A/N) I want to apologize for the editorial mistakes (spelling, grammar, and words missing or in odd places) in the last chapter, and to say that, to my knowledge, there are none in this chapter!  
  
Molly preceded me up a set of grey stone stairs, and turned left down a hallway. She stopped at a door marked, in gold lettering, "Fifth Years", and entered. I saw four beds, one in each corner of the room.  
  
Molly pointed to the one furthest from the door. "That's Lily's. The next one is yours, then mine, and the one nearest the door is Katie's. Have you met Katie?"  
  
I shook my head, black hair waving with it. "Nope, but I'm sure I will soon enough."  
  
The was a kind of strangled-sounding noise behind me, and I spun around. There stood the same strict-looking witch that had read off the names for the Sorting Hat.  
  
"Oh, Professor McGonagall! What's the matter?" Molly exclaimed.  
  
The Professor wiped away a couple of tears. "Actually, I came by to tell you that Katie will not arrive for another week. Her younger brother died yesterday, and his funeral is three days from now."  
  
The look on Molly's stricken face told me that she had known Katie's little brother, and I leaned over and hugged her.  
  
~  
  
The next morning at breakfast, there wasn't too much conversation. The owls swooped in, there was food on the table, and Sirius was quiet. That bothered me.  
  
"Sirius," I started, and paused to see if he was paying attention. He wasn't. "Sirius!" I tried again. He kept eating as if I had not made a sound.  
  
James chuckled at my obvious confusion. "Sirius doesn't respond to anything, aside from a bucket of cold water dumped on his head, before he's finished eating. When he's done, I'm sure he'll be coherent. What's the matter?"  
  
I hesitated, but had to ask. "Well, yesterday evening when we got to the Common Room, he thought it was funny that I took Malfoy down. But he called me a miniature Rottweiler! I was going to ask if there was some joke behind that."  
  
Lily snorted with laughter. "With Sirius, everything is dogs somehow. Even his name! Sirius, the dog star."  
  
Remus chimed in, "No kidding. But from him, being called a Rottweiler is a compliment. At least you're not a poodle or a dachsund!"  
  
"Okay, point taken. Thanks." I told them.   
  
Before I could ask anything else, an older student wearing a prefect badge strode down the table. "Fifth year course schedules! Oh, and for Rosemary Potter," He paused, looking for me. I reached out my hand. "There's a note. It says to see Professor McGonagall before breakfast ends, you'd better get up there!"  
  
I scrambled. The Professor had just finished her bacon when I arrived in front of her. She looked up and smiled. "Ah yes, Miss Potter. Follow me."   
  
She led me through several passageways and up two flights of stairs before she entered a room. "This is my office. Before we set your schedule, you'll need to pick your courses." She handed me a list of courses. Several were ticked off already (Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, Herbology, Potions, and History of Magic), but the list told me I could pick two more. I chose Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.  
  
Professor McGonagall looked surprised. "I'm surprised you picked Magical Creatures. It's usually standard fare, but as you're part creature you were exempted. Are you sure you want to take it? Know that Professor Kettleburn may use you as an example occasionally. Do you have wings?"  
  
I nodded. "Yes, and they can support my weight if I really want them to."  
  
She looked delighted, like a child who's been told that Christmas is coming twice this year. "Really? That's wonderful! But how do you keep them hidden?"  
  
Finally, someone had asked! I grinned. "Actually, they're not hidden at all. Not really. My old Professor put a Will Charm on them, so you can't see them unless you look for them. Look carefully - they come out to just past my fingertips and to the floor."  
  
Her face lit up, and she looked twenty years younger in that instant. "Oh my heavens... They're incredible! I wondered why your robes laced up those darts. Regular robes wouldn't allow for those..." She trailed off.  
  
Feeling strangely satisfied, I told her, "You're the only person who's asked about wings. I told Molly Bullen, Lily Evans, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and James Potter. None of them even asked."  
  
She looked vaguely disappointed. "I thought at least Mr. Lupin would have thought of that. But I assume he was distracted when he found out you knew about his lycanthopy?"  
  
I nodded. "I could pick him and James out from a distance."  
  
The Professor looked slightly lost. "James? James Potter?"  
  
"Yes... never mind. So I'll be taking Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures to complement my required courses?"  
  
She nodded, businesslike once more. "Yes. And Miss Potter?"  
  
I looked up to face her. "I would appreciate you not mentioning the Will Charm unless someone asks. The more people who know about it, the less effective it is. Re-casting it would require someone to do it, and I'm not suer how many people at this school are capable."  
  
That made sense. "Yes, Professor. Do I have a schedule?"  
  
She handed me a sheet of parchment with class days and times on it. I looked it over, mentally making notes to compare with Lily and Molly later. "Thanks, Professor!" I chirped, and skipped out.   
  
I thought I knew where I was going, but very quickly I realized I was lost. "Professor McGonagall?" No reply. "Damn." Not knowing what else to do, I took a rew random turns, hoping and praying to come across someone, even a Slytherin would do.  
  
"Young lady! Why aren't you in class?" A harsh voice called down the corridor from behind me.  
  
I whirled around, and was immensely relieved to see a thin old man striding towards me, with a nasty smile scrawled on his face.  
  
"I was lost! Oh, I'm SO glad to see you!" I gushed.  
  
He paused, as if he wasn't used to hearing anything like that, and I held out my hand. "I'm Rosemary Potter."  
  
The old man scowled. "Filch. I'm the caretaker. Why aren't you in class, instead of tracking up my clean corridor?" He demanded.  
  
"I told you, I was lost. I was in Professor McGonagall's office getting my schedule, and then couldn't remember where to go."  
  
He gave me an appraising look. "Rosemary Potter... the new student?"  
  
I nodded. "That's me."  
  
He sneered. "Follow me." He led me through a twisted maze of corridors and stairs, and ended up back in the Great Hall. "Don't expect any more help."  
  
  
~~~~~  
(A/N) That's all for now, folks! Seeing as this is the first time I've updated in months, hope it wasn't too disappointing! 


	5. Seriousness and Siriusness

Rosemary For Protection  
Chapter 5  
  
(A/N) Posting twice in less than 24 hours, what's wrong with me? ; - )  
  
  
I was just about to sprint out of the huge doors, when a rather amused-sounding voice gave me pause. "Miss Potter?"  
  
I turned slowly, expecting to be caught and handed a detention slip. Instead, it was Professor Dumbledore (who didn't look angry at all!) "Why aren't you in class?"  
  
Sighing, I replied, "I got lost, and Mr. Filch led me out of that maze of hallways you have."  
  
The Professor seemed deeply surprised. "He led you out? Knowingly?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"That's a change! The last time a student got lost down those corridors, he followed Mr. Filch around for nearly two hours before he got out." The Professor told me.  
  
Somehow, I wasn't surprised. "He certainly didn't seem pleased with me. Professor, I'm really quite late for Herbology. Could you show me where it is?"  
  
He nodded affably. "Certainly. Let us go before Professor Sprout has my head for detaining a student!" He chuckled.  
  
I grinned, and followed the Professor out the doors. I soon found myself struggling to keep up with his long stride, though, and started running. He looked down at me and asked frankly, "Why don't you fly to keep up?"  
  
I was almost shocked. I had thought the old man had more sense than that! "Professor! What if someone saw? They'd think I was Dark!"  
  
He looked satisfied, and smoothed down his beard. "Good. I'm glad that you can see that, and don't want to abuse your advantages. Well, here we are!" We stopped in front of a rather Muggle-looking greenhouse, and he opened the door.  
  
An almost dumpy-looking woman with greying brown flyaway hair came striding toward us, nearly scaring me half to death, she looked so angry. When she got closer, though, I found out otherwise.   
  
She halted in front of Professor Dumbledore. "Thank you, Albus." And turned to me. "Did you get lost?"  
  
I nodded. "In that labyrinth near Professor McGonagall's office."  
  
She chuckled, surprising me. "All right. Would you kindly take a seat next to Mr. Black?"  
  
I plopped down next to him on a wooden bench, feeling extremely lucky. He pushed a hastily scrawled note across the table at me. I read "We thought you had skipped your first class!"  
  
I grinned and wrote back, "Not quite. Got lost near McGonagall's office and Filch led me out."  
  
Sirius snickered.  
  
"The Tentacula is in a very bad mood, class, so watch out for it. Mister Longbottom?" The teacher continued.  
  
"Yes, Professor?" A boy with blond hair and a round, cherubic face answered, looking up from a book.  
  
"Would you please, for extra credit, look up Venomous Tentaculas and tell me how many times they can give birth for tomorrow?"  
  
The boy nodded. "Good. So: on with the lesson. Wolfsbane is a fairly common plant, and it is known to repel wolves and werewolves alike. Can anyone tell me the third use for it?"  
  
Several people raised their hands, and she called on Lily. "It goes into the newly discovered Wolfsbane Potion."  
  
The Professor smiled. "Correct. What does that potion do, Mr. Lupin?"  
  
"It helps a werewolf to keep his or her mind when they transform, keeping them sane." Remus replied with some gravity.  
  
"And, Miss Potter, how is that a boon to society?"  
  
James and I answered at the same time. "A werewolf would be able to live a normal life."  
  
The class snickered, and the Professor looked amused. "So, James, you're a 'Miss' now?" She teased.  
  
James blushed, starting with his ears and spreading to his face and neck. I was trying not to laugh when a Hufflepuff girl let out a nervous giggle, and it set me off. Soon the whole class was in hysterics, except for James. The bell rang to signal the end of class, and, still giggling, I packed up and stepped out into the sunshine.  
  
Lily followed right behind me. "Break next, don't worry." Before I could reply, the three boys burst from the greenhouse, two of them still laughing.   
  
"So, MISS-ter Potter, how was class?" Lily asked James.  
  
I snickered, and Lily and the guys were thrown into fresh fits of laughter, James looking mutinous. Professor Sprout emerged from the greenhouse with an armful of enpty clay pots, grey robes smudged with dirt. "Would you five like to help me with the Mandrakes, if you're hanging around?" She asked, witha tone that clearly said "Do it or leave".  
  
Before anyone could object, Lily burst out, "Of course, Professor!" James, Sirius, and Remus shot her death looks, but I sided with her.  
  
"Look at it this way: you're helping me catch up. We don't have things like this back in the States!" I commented, trooping after the Professor into a different greenhouse.  
  
They grumbled less. We stepped into the dim humidity of the greenhouse, and I followed everyone else in putting on a pair of earmuffs. Completely bewildered, I watched the Professor fill a large pot with soil, and grab the leaves of a plant.   
  
She yanked it up, and instead of roots, I saw a baby! Ugly, green-brown, and dirty, but a baby just the same. She plunged it into the soil of the larger pot, and I relaxed when the others did the same.  
  
I followed suit until Lily tapped me on the shoulder and mouthed that it was almost time to go. I finished potting the last Mandrake, and was on my way over to the rack to take my earmuffs off, when I felt a "thud", like something heavy had hit the ground. I turned around, to see a baby Mandrake sticking its head out of the soil and crying mercilessly, and Sirius (earmuffless) sprawled on the ground like he was unconscious.  
  
Lily gaped, but took action first. She potted the Mandrake properly, and we all removed our earmuffs. Professor Sprout ran over to Sirius. "He'll be all right. They're only a month old, anyway. Go on to your next class, I'll get him to the hospital wing."  
  
By the time we left, everyone was visibly shaken and I was outright confused. Remus turned to me. "What's your next class?"  
  
I dug out my schedule. "Defense."  
  
He grinned ferally. "James, Sirius, and I always had that one class together. James got Advanced Transfiguration in place of it this year, though. You're in our class... this should prove to be interesting!"  
  
"What should?" I asked warily.  
  
"A fairy and a werewolf in the same class." He answered nonchalantly. "Professor Walsh, she taught Ancient Runes last year, but we needed a Defense teacher this year so she took over. She's terrified of anyone or anything that's among humans but not human. Vampires, werewolves, crossbreeds, the like. I can't imagine what she'll think when she sees us!" He snickered, sounding vaguely un-Remus-like.  
  
~  
  
(A/N) Yes, yes, I know the chapter should be longer, but oh well - this is the second in a day! More soon, as soon as I get around to getting it on my comp.  
  
A review a day keeps the rabid fanfic author away! 


	6. Do You Ever Learn Anything In Classes?

Rosemary For Protection  
Chapter 6  
  
(A/N) I have 35 pages of material, and only 8 posted! If I get in gear, there should be a lot more soon.  
  
  
"Funny, nobody in Maine is scared of fairies..." I wondered.  
  
"Yes, but you don't have Cornish pixies in Maine!" Remus grinned.  
  
"Those blue things? God, no. But what does thathave to do with fairies and werewolves?" I was lost.  
  
Remus' eyes took on a mischevious glint. "According to Professor Walsh, pixies and fairies are closely related, and therefore act similarly. We've never had anyone or anything to prove her wrong, or right, with before; so now you can!"  
  
"Why am I not getting the best feeling about this?" I moaned.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Remus told me. "Things will be better with Sirius here."  
  
"How so?" I asked warily.  
  
Remus laughed quietly. "Last year he convinced Professor Walsh that he was under a Vampire Curse. That was hilarious. Between the two of us, neither of us, James, Peter, or Lily had to do homework all year. And this year..." He trailed off as we approached the classroom.  
  
We entered, to find Professor Dumbledore sitting on the teacher's desk, swinging his feet and humming. Scrambling to get into seats before the bell rang, Remus and I ended up a desk apart, with an empty one between us.  
  
"Good morning, class. I will be teaching your Defense classes this year, due to some ... difficulties with Professor Walsh." Half the class snickered behind their hands. "Today you will be shown how to identify magical explosives, and in the next week, how to delay their explosion and how to disarm some of them."  
  
The rest of the period was spent taking notes on hallmarks and details of magical explosives, and the most common uses.   
  
After the lesson, I followed Remus to the hospital wing to meet Lily and James, who were checking on Sirius. He was alive, but wouldn't be awake for another hour or so.  
  
"What do you have next?" James asked me.  
  
"Charms. How do I get there?"  
  
Lily showed me to the class, a million and one corridors and stairways away, and left me there.  
  
I opened the heavy wooden door, and stepped in. A tiny man I could only assume to be Professor Flitwick was standing on his desk and taking attendance. "Welcome back to Hogwarts! Today's will be a practical lesson, you may put away your books and parchment. Please keep a quill on your desk."  
  
I sat in the only empty seat I saw, and realized I was in fourth-year Charms.   
  
The girl I sat next to had hair a lot like mine, black and long, except that hers was tied up neatly. She smiled a very toothy smile at me. "Hi there. I'm Cinda."  
  
I shook her hand. "Rosemary. Pleased to meet you." I turned to Professor Flitwick, and listened to his explanation of what he wanted us to do.   
  
"Today will be a review day, class, and so everything you have learned so far in this class, with very few exceptions, is yours to practice. If you have any questions, see me."  
  
Almost immediately, the Professor was floating above his desk, chuckling. "And practice on quills, pillows, and things like that, not people!" He was dropped down onto the desk with an audible "oof!"  
  
Cinda smirked, and drew her wand out of her sleeve. "I love doing that," She muttered.   
  
We spent the rest of class making the lights around the classroom flick on and off, and having miniature quidditch matches with quills and bits of colored parchment.  
  
The bell rang, startling me so badly my quill left a long black mark on some boy's head. He raised an eyebrow and returned my quill.  
  
I checked my schedule and saw my next class: History of Magic. "Professor Flitwick? Can you give me directions to the History of Magic classroom?"  
  
He smiled kindly, and proceeded to confuse me with a long string of second lefts and third rights, and I left the classroom knowing I was going to get lost. I followed as much of the directions as I could remember, but ended up following random people in my year around until someone noticed me and asked if I was lost. The blond girl lead me to the classroom, and introduced herself. "I'm Narcissa LeStrange. Who are you?"  
  
"Rosemary Potter. What house are you in?"  
  
"Slytherin," She answered, looking faintly disgusted. "You're a Gryffindor, aren't you?"  
  
I nodded, thanked her for leading me here, and slipped into the classroom. I looked around, and saw a few familiar faces. "Rosemary!" Someone hissed from across the room. I glanced over there, and saw a telltale flash of very red hair.   
  
I took a seat in their cluster of desks, and before I could get their names, class started.  
  
Nothing, however, could have prepared me for what came next, save for a little warning. I was in the middle of asking who taught the class, when he came drifting through the blackboard. I shrieked, startled, as a silvery-wite, very OLD person walked right through the chalkboard.  
  
Molly covered my mouth with her hand before I could make any more noise. "That's Professor Binns," She whispered in my ear, "He's really very cranky and old."  
  
Nodding, I made a little "oh" of understanding. She took her hand away, and proceeded to write me a note while pretending to take notes on the Goblin Rebellions of 1842, and what havoc they wreaked in Muggle Britain.  
  
"Around us is Ana, Minnie, and Tori. They're all very nice, but talkative for Ravenclaws."  
  
Relieved, I told her thanks and tried to take notes for Professor Binns. This class ended with a shrill ring of the bell, just like the ones before it, and then it was lunchtime.   
  
When Molly and I got to the Gryffindor table, I sat down next to Lily and pulled out my Charms notes, hoping to be more prepared next class. 


	7. More Seriousness and Siriusness

Rosemary For Protection  
Chapter 7  
  
(A/N) Haha!!! *Evil, diabolical laugh* Even though nobody's reading this story, it still makes me feel good to get it posted, as I've been meaning to do it for a year. And if you are reading this story, I LOVE YOU! Just leave me a review so I can love you to pieces, anonymous or not!  
  
  
Lily leaned over and examined the notes in my lap. "Do you need help?" She asked concernedly.  
  
"Yes!" I laughed. "I spent that hour of class memorizing the review!"  
  
She was explaining the finer points of the basic flick-and-swish (which we obviously hadn't learned properly) to me when, through the Great Doors, came the boys. James and Remus each had one of Sirius' arms and were supporting his entire weight between them.   
  
They staggered over to our table amidst whispers and laughs, and dropped Sirius down onto the bench between Lily and me. He leaned onto my shoulder exaggeratedly, and winked. I snorted. "Why aren't you walking for yourself? Seems rather un-Sirius-like to me."  
  
He gave a great, dramatic sigh. "Well, after the episode in Sprout's classroom, she took me up to the hospital wing, and Pomfrey gave me a particularly nasty potion, something about the mind needing to recover and not needing the extra strain of being able and having to move the rest of me."  
  
James raised an eyebrow, and paused in shoveling food into his mouth. "It's just to keep him in line while he lies in the hospital wing."  
  
I nodded. "Uh huh. That really doesn't explain much, though."  
  
Suddenly all four pairs of eyes were fixed on me, looking thoughtful, confused, or disbelieving, and all paused in mid-chew. "You mean to say that you don't know why Sirius passed out?" Remus asked, appearing torn between amusement and disbelief.  
  
"Yes, that's what I mean to say," I clarified.  
  
"We were repotting Mandrakes, their cry can kill if they're adults. Sirius got lucky, they're still babies now. As he wasn't smart enough to bury it properly, I'm surprised it didn't get any of the others of us." Lily said imperiously.  
  
Well, that made sense. "Oh." I responded.  
  
"So, what was it you were trying to ask me this morning?" Sirius diverted the attention back to himself.  
  
Lily shot him a Look, and lunch was over. Sirius moaned that he hadn't got enough to eat (though he'd been fed enough to get him through to supper), and then James stopped dead in trying to get Sirius up.  
  
"Remus," He said suddenly. "Do you know what class we have next?"  
  
Remus paused, and he buried his face in his hands. "Divination."  
  
James looked at me, then at Remus, then at Sirius. "You can't expect us to drag you all the way up to the top of the North Tower," He told Sirius.  
  
Sirius grinned that feral grin I had already seen too often. "Can't I?"  
  
James and Remus grunted as they hauled Sirius out of his seat.  
  
~  
  
We had only gotten to the bottom of the Tower when James dropped from exhaustion, and Remus let go of Sirius' arm.  
  
"Come on James, we can't just leave him here," Remus encouraged him.  
  
James shot him a Look, very like the one Lily had given Sirius earlier. "Yes, we can."  
  
I lost patience. "Fine, I'll carry him." I offered.  
  
James snorted. "You couldn't carry Sirius if your life depended on it!" He told me.  
  
I grinned, and I'm sure I had a maniacal glint in my eyes. "Oh, can't I?"  
  
I bent down and wrapped Sirius in a bear hug, his feet dragging on the floor from his knees down, and made it two flights of stairs up before I turned back down to James and Remus. "Well, come on! We're going to be late!"  
  
They both stared at me, mouthing like goldfish left on the counter. "How... I mean... and no... just... ?" Remus tried.  
  
I snickered. "It's like ants, the smaller you are the more you can carry. Now, let's go."  
  
James' eyes narrowed. "Come on! Sirius must weigh four times what you do, and ... no! There must be a trick."  
  
I had been using my wings to take my weight, and used mine to take Sirius'. Now I realized that James, at least, wasn't going to let it go, and Remus looked very curious.  
  
I sighed. "Fine. But I have to know that you won't say anything, even to Lily."  
  
Remus chimed in. "He tells Lily everything."  
  
I raised an eyebrow at James, who was quicky turning a delicate pink color. "Well?"  
  
Curiosity took over, and he gave in. "All right. I swear on Sirius's life."  
  
"Hey! She'll hold you to that!" Sirius complained.  
  
"What about you and Remus?" I asked him.  
  
"Well, I'll make a deal with you," Remus told me. "Since you know about me, it's only fair that I know about you. As long as you don't say anything, I won't either."  
  
I nodded. "Sirius?"  
  
"Same deal as Remus, except that I'll tell you later. Here really isn't the place."  
  
I couldn't resist. Anything for blackmailing Black. "All right then. Done deal. I've been lifting as much weight as I can with my wings."  
  
James goggled. "You don't have wings." He told me blankly.  
  
I laughed, not even attempting to hide my amusement. "Yes, I do. That's why I wanted to be so far ahead of you, so I wouldn't hit you."  
  
Remus's eyes bugged out of his head, and he gasped. "Oh wow..."  
  
Then Sirius. "Great Merlin! How do you hide those?"  
  
James looked lost. "It's a Will Charm. You have to believe that they're there and to trust me to see them. Listen, if both of your best friends see them, they must be there, right?" I beat them to rise a couple of feet off of the floor to prove my point.  
  
I sighed. "Never mind, James. We're going to be late. Let's get going."  
  
Remus and I joined hands to make a seat for Sirius, and James walked behind to make sure he didn't fall backwards down the stairs. We were almost to the top of the second-to-last flight of stairs when James stopped suddenly. "What?" Remus asked him, curious to why James's jaw was practically on the stairs.  
  
"Oh!" I got it suddenly. "Remus, he sees my wings."  
  
James nodded, looking vaguely awestruck. I laughed, and we made it to the top of the stairs with no more trouble.  
  
When we got to the top, I saw no classroom door. Instead, as the bell rang, a silvery ladder dropped down from a trapdoor above us. Most of the class climbed up, leaving the four of us at the bottom.  
  
"How are we going to get Sirius up there?" Remus wondered aloud.  
  
James turned to Sirius. "How long does Pomfrey's potion last?"  
  
Sirius looked worried. "I don't know."  
  
I shimmied up the ladder to find the teacher. All I found was a motley of furntinture (mostly old tables with poufy armchairs around them) and a filled classroom with no teacher.  
  
"Where's Professor Trelawney?" Someone asked. Nobody seemed to know.  
  
"Right here, dears," A misty voice sounded, and a woman who reminded me of a giant dragonfly emerged from the shadows, rather like Professor Binns had appeared from the blackboard.  
  
"Professor?" I asked.  
  
She jumped, like a shot had rung out. She looked at me, and her eyes got alarmingly large. "Y, yes, my dear? Is there a problem?"  
  
"Yes. Sirius Black is stuck at the bottom, and we don't know how to get him up here."  
  
"Stuck?" She looked confused, and I tried my best not to laugh. She glided to the edge of the trapdoor, and gazed down. "Yes, my dear. I quite understand." She turned to the class. "Is anyone in this class confident in their Levitation abilities?"  
  
A few tentative hands were raised, and she called a curly-haired girl to come and Levitate Sirius up. "OR I COULD JUST STAY DOWN HERE AND LISTEN!" Sirius hollered at the top of his lungs.  
  
The Professor sighed, and I got the feeling that these incidents were not uncommon. The brown-haired girl pointed her wand at Sirius and muttered something. He cringed, and banged an elbow and his head on the way through the trapdoor, but made it up in one piece. I sat next to Sirius at the nearest table, leaning him back into his chair whenever he started to lean.  
  
By the end of the hour, Sirius had been lashed to his chair with a few scarves, I had learned next to nothing about scrying, and Professor Trelawney had predicted James's death via drowning. 


End file.
